In a bid to remain prepared for the possible third wave of COVID-19, the Kerala government has converted a defunct factory in the state to a COVID-19 hospital. The treatment centre in Palakkad supports 550 beds and was put together on a budget of Rs. 1.1 crore.
Sharing the development on Twitter, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “Turned a non-functioning Coca Cola plant in Palakkad into a 550 bed Covid treatment center spending ₹1.1 Crore.” Explaining that the state was gearing up to face the “impending third wave”, the Chief Minister said, “The CSLTC has 100 oxygen beds, 50 ICU beds and 20 ventilators. Kerala is gearing up for the impending third wave.”
Reacting to the establishment of the new COVID-19 hospital, social media users praised the government for its foresight to battle the expected third wave. In response to Mr Vijayan's tweet, one user said, "Great work. Only suggestion we need to maintain this facility even after COVID-19 and in future, it can convert into government hospital."
On a similar note, another user said, "What we actually need in this crucial times!"
Kerala had reported 12,787 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the caseload to 28,42,247. With 150 deaths recorded in 24 hours, the death tally touched 12,445.
As of Wednesday, 13,683 persons have successfully overcome the disease, taking the total recoveries so far to 27,29,967.
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